Search Results for: ukraine

Leaderless but united by racist ideology that has been supercharged by social media, extremists have built a web of real and online connections that worry officials. When insurrectionists stormed the Capitol in Washington this month, far-right extremists across the Atlantic cheered. Jürgen Elsässer, the editor of Germany’s most prominent far-right magazine, was watching live from his couch. “We were following it like a soccer match,” he said. Four months earlier, Mr. Elsässer had attended a march in Berlin, where a breakaway mob of far-right protesters tried — and failed — to force their way into the building that houses Germany’s Parliament. The parallel was not lost on him. “The fact that they actually made it inside raised hopes that there is a plan,” he said. “It was clear that this was something bigger.” And it is. Adherents of racist far-right movements around the world share more than a common cause. German extremists have traveled to the United States for sniper competitions. American neo-Nazis have visited counterparts in Europe. Militants from different countries bond in training camps from Russia and Ukraine to South Africa. For years far-right extremists traded ideology and inspiration on societies’ fringes and in the deepest realms of the internet. Now, the events of Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol have laid bare their violent potential. (…) Extremists are animated by the same conspiracy theories and narratives of “white genocide” and “the great replacement” of European populations by immigrants, the report concluded. They roam the same online spaces and also meet in person at far-right music festivals, mixed martial arts events and far-right rallies. “The neo-Nazi scenes are well-connected,” said Mr. Kramer, the German intelligence official. “We’re not just talking about likes on Facebook. We’re talking about neo-Nazis traveling, meeting each other, celebrating together.” The training camps have caused anxiety among intelligence and law enforcement officials, who worry that such activity could lay the groundwork for more organized and deliberate violence. Two white nationalists, who attended a paramilitary camp run by the extremist Russian Imperial Movement outside of St. Petersburg, were later accused by Swedish prosecutors of plotting bombings aimed at asylum seekers. Last year, the United States State Department designated the Russian Imperial Movement a terrorist organization, the first white nationalist group to receive the label.

via nytimes: Capitol Riot Puts Spotlight on ‘Apocalyptically Minded’ Global Far Right

By <a href=”//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:TapTheForwardAssist&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1″ class=”new” title=”User:TapTheForwardAssist (page does not exist)”>TapTheForwardAssist</a> – <span class=”int-own-work” lang=”en”>Own work</span>, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

White supremacists are building international networks to spread their violent ideology. Efforts at transatlantic counterterrorism cooperation hit an obstacle: the politics of the Trump Administration. During the past two years, U.S. counterterrorism officials held meetings with their European counterparts to discuss an emerging threat: right-wing terror groups becoming increasingly global in their reach. American neo-Nazis were traveling to train and fight with militias in the Ukraine. There were suspected links between U.S. extremists and the Russian Imperial Movement, a white supremacist group that was training foreigners in its St. Petersburg compounds. A gunman accused of killing 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 had denounced a “Hispanic invasion” and praised a white supremacist who killed 51 people at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and who had been inspired by violent American and Italian racists. But the efforts to improve transatlantic cooperation against the threat ran into a recurring obstacle. During talks and communications, senior Trump administration officials steadfastly refused to use the term “right-wing terrorism,” causing disputes and confusion with the Europeans, who routinely use the phrase, current and former European and U.S. officials told ProPublica. Instead, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security referred to “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism,” while the State Department chose “racially or ethnically motivated terrorism.” “We did have problems with the Europeans,” one national security official said. “They call it right-wing terrorism and they were angry that we didn’t. There was a real aversion to using that term on the U.S. side. The aversion came from political appointees in the Trump administration. We very quickly realized that if people talked about right-wing terrorism, it was a nonstarter with them.” The U.S. response to the globalization of the far-right threat has been slow, scattered and politicized, U.S. and European counterterrorism veterans and experts say. Whistleblowers and other critics have accused DHS leaders of downplaying the threat of white supremacy and slashing a unit dedicated to fighting domestic extremism. DHS has denied those accusations. (…) Other former officials disagreed. Federal agencies avoided the term “right-wing terrorism” because they didn’t want to give extremists legitimacy by placing them on the political spectrum, or to fuel the United States’ intense polarization, said Christopher K. Harnisch, the former deputy coordinator for countering violent extremism in the State Department’s counterterrorism bureau. Some causes espoused by white supremacists, such as using violence to protect the environment, are not regarded as traditionally right-wing ideology, said Harnisch, who stepped down this week.(…) A European counterterror chief described recent conversations with U.S. agents about Americans attending neo-Nazi rallies and concerts in Europe and traveling to join the Azov Battalion, an ultranationalist Ukrainian militia fighting Russian-backed separatists. About 17,000 fighters from 50 countries, including at least 35 Americans, have traveled to the Ukrainian conflict zone, where they join units on both sides, according to one study. The fighting in the Donbass region offers them training, combat experience, international contacts and a sense of themselves as warriors, a theater reminiscent of Syria or Afghanistan for jihadis. “The far right was not a priority for a long time,” the European counterterror chief said. “Now they are saying it’s a real threat for all our societies. Now they are seeing we have to handle it like Islamic terrorism. Now that we are sharing and we have a bigger picture, we see it’s really international, not domestic.”

via talkingpointsmemo Global Right-Wing Extremism Networks Are Growing. The U.S. Is Just Now Catching Up.

Der Sicherheitsdienst der Ukraine SBU hat in Kyjiw eine Gruppe von Anhängern des australischen Rechtsextremisten und Terroristen, Brenton Tarrant, enttarnt. Wie die Pressestelle des SBU mitteilte, trug ein Anführer der Neonazi-Gruppe den Decknamen „Hitler“. „Über elektronische Kommunikationsmittel und Messenger-Dienste habe er ein geheimes Netzwerk zur Verbreitung des so genannten „Manifests“ von Tarrant mit Aufrufen zur Ausübung von Terrorakten aus rassistischen und religiösen Motiven organisiert“, heißt es in der Mitteilung. Das „Manifest“ wurde laut dem SBU auch ins Ukrainisch und Russisch übersetzt und in Form einer Drucksache verbreitet. Die Außenministerien Australiens und Neuselands hätten darauf mehrmals mit scharfer Kritik reagiert. Bei den Durchsuchungen wurden zahlreiche Exemplare vom „Manifest“, elektronische Geräte und Symbole der Neonazis sichergestellt.

via ukrinform: Kyjiw: SBU deckt Neonazi-Gruppe mit Anführer „Hitler“ auf

Media reporting is gradually beginning to identify the people who attacked Congress in Washington, D.C. yesterday at the instigation of outgoing US President Donald Trump. Those participating in the unrest included different members of various neo-Nazi groups and adherents of the conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon. The attack on the American “temple of democracy” was unprecedented in US history. Terrorists broke into the buildings of the Capitol complex and disrupted the joint session of Congress certifying the electoral college results from November’s presidential election. Disorder, journalists’ equipment destroyed, material damage to the building, several injured and four dead. That is the toll of yesterday’s terrorist attack by the supporters of Trump. The media have been describing the events after these shocking scenes from the perspective of those who remained inside the building after the rioters broke in. Journalists and legislative advisors hid wherever they could and barricades were erected in various rooms. Some of the Congresspeople who were not evacuated have told the media that they even prepared to engage in combat themselves. Who are these supporters of Trump who attacked Congress? While extremists, the ultra-right, and some Republicans are beginning to repeat absurd notions that the attack was committed by members of Antifa dressed as Trump supporters, the media has unequivocally identified the terrorists as Holocaust deniers, QAnon followers, and racist supporters of white supremacy. Several photographs and video footage of the events feature a man wearing a sweatshirt inscribed with “Camp Auschwitz”, a skull and the caption “Work Makes Freedom”, i.e., an English translation of the sign over the gate to Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

via rmoea.cz: USA: Holocaust deniers, neo-Nazis, QAnon followers and racist supporters of white supremacy attacked Congress to support Trump

siehe auch: US Capitol in lockdown as protesters storm building. The US Capitol has been locked down with lawmakers inside as violent clashes break out between police and supporters of President Donald Trump. Supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of senators. The US Senate abruptly went to an emergency recess during its Electoral College debate after protesters forced a lockdown of the building. Supporters of Donald Trump were seen breaching barricades, roaming the building and later pounding on the door of the US House Chamber in an attempt to get in; Horror as neo-Nazis and antisemites storm the US Capitol. Jewish groups in the US and UK accuse Trump of inciting violence and endangering democracy. Jewish groups reacted with horror as far right supporters, some bearing antisemitic slogans, stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday as part of the pro-Trump mob’s assault on the seat of American democracy. Lawmakers reconvened overnight to formally confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory after rioters halted the Congressional count of electoral college votes in chaotic clashes that led to at least four deaths and 52 arrests. Photos of several far-right figures, Confederate flags, nooses and white supremacist symbols circulated on social media, with a protester pictured in a hoodie marked “Camp Auschwitz” and “work brings freedom”. Conspiracy theorist Tim Gionet – known as Baked Alaska – and QAnon adherent Jake Angeli were pictured at the violent protest. Mr Angeli wore his trademark horned hat as he posed beside the Dais inside the US Senate chamber. Nick Fuentes, a podcaster repeatedly accused of antisemitism and Holocaust denial, was also seen among the crowd outside the building. He once compared Holocaust victims to cookies being baked in an oven in a video in 2019. President Donald Trump’s social media accounts were locked yesterday after he repeated baseless election fraud claims and expressed his “love” for rioters in a video urging them to go home; Republikaner-Kritik an Trump Schwere Vorwürfe und Rücktritte. Aus den Reihen seiner Parteifreunde wächst die Kritik am US-Präsidenten: Ex-Justizminister Barr nannte Trumps Verhalten “Verrat”. Viele Mitarbeiter legten ihre Ämter nieder. Bidens Wahlsieg wurde hingegen vom Kongress bestätigt. Ex-Justizminister William Barr hat US-Präsident Donald Trumps Verhalten im Umgang mit seinen gewalttätigen Anhängern scharf verurteilt. Es sei nicht zu entschuldigen, “einen Mob zu orchestrieren”, um Druck auf den Kongress auszuüben, kritisierte Barr. Trumps Verhalten sei ein “Verrat an seinem Amt und an seinen Unterstützern”. Im Kabinett hatte Barr zu Trumps loyalsten und tatkräftigsten Fürsprechern gehört. Mitte Dezember trat er aber nach Spannungen mit dem Präsidenten zurück. Der amtierende US-Heimatschutzminister Chad Wolf forderte von Trump, die Gewalt nachdrücklich zu verurteilen. Sie sei “tragisch und widerlich” gewesen. Das Vorgehen einiger Anhänger des Präsidenten sei “inakzeptabel”. Wolf ist ein extrem loyaler Gefolgsmann des Präsidenten und hat dessen Politik bislang vorbehaltlos unterstützt. Der republikanische Abgeordnete im US-Repräsentantenhaus, Adam Kinzinger, rief sogar zu einer Amtsenthebung Trumps auf. Dazu solle der 25. Verfassungszusatz angewendet werden, der eine Amtsenthebung des Präsidenten regele, erklärt Kinzinger. “Alles deutet darauf hin, dass der Präsident sich losgelöst hat, nicht nur von seiner Pflicht oder sogar seinem Eid, sondern von der Realität selbst.” Trumps sofortige Absetzung forderte auch der oberste Demokrat im US-Senat, Chuck Schumer: “Was gestern im US-Kapitol passiert ist, war ein Aufstand gegen die Vereinigten Staaten, aufgehetzt durch den Präsidenten.” Schumer sprach sich ebenfalls für eine Amtsenthebung auf Basis des 25. Zusatzartikels aus. Dafür müssten allerdings Vizepräsident Mike Pence und Trumps Kabinett die Enthebung befürworten, außerdem wäre die Zustimmung von Senat und Repräsentantenhaus mit Zweidrittelmehrheit notwendig. Einigen Mitarbeitern der Regierung scheint Kritik allein nicht zu reichen – es läuft eine regelrechte Rücktrittsserie. Der US-Sondergesandte für Nordirland und ehemalige Stabschef des Weißen Hauses, Mick Mulvaney, sagte dem Sender CNBC: “Ich kann hier nicht bleiben, nicht nach gestern.” Er habe Außenminister Mike Pompeo über seine Kündigung informiert. Zuvor hatten bereits der stellvertretende Nationale Sicherheitsberater Matt Pottinger und die Sprecherin der First Lady Melania Trump – und Ex-Sprecherin des Präsidenten -, Stephanie Grisham, gekündigt. “Diejenigen, die bleiben, und ich habe mit einigen gesprochen, tun dies nur, weil sie fürchten, dass der Präsident jemand Schlimmeren an ihre Stelle setzen könnte”, sagte Mulvaney. Der Sondergesandte war selbst von Trump als Stabschef abgesetzt worden, weil er im Oktober eingeräumt hatte, dass auf Anweisung des Präsidenten Militärhilfen für die Ukraine eingefroren worden seien.